Accenture Digital Skills | Digital Marketing: How to set up a PPC ad

PPC ads are sponsored links that are displayed when a web search is made in search engines pages such as Google, Yahoo, Bing,
etc. Advertisers pay a fee when their ad is clicked on by users.1

How to set up a PPC ad:

1) Determine your PPC goals – Is this to increase sales on a product, increase the number of sign ups or increase
brand awareness? PPC goals will help in deciding the keywords and phrases to bid and how much to bid to ensure
your ad is on the right track.2

2) Identify and select a search engine to set up your ad in – Popular choices include Google AdWords, Bing Ads and
Yahoo Search Marketing.3

3) Select a list of PPC keywords – These are words that customers would type into search engines that would lead
them to your product or offering. Using the right keywords is important in ensuring a successful PPC campaign.
There are several online tools that could aid in selecting appropriate keywords such as Google Keyword Planner,
Wordtracker, Bing Keyword Tool,4 SpyFu,5 etc.

4) Determine a budget for your PPC campaign – Payments will have to be made to the search engine when your ad is
clicked on and the customer is taken to your website. Certain tools like Keyword Planner can also help in deciding a
budget as they provide estimates on the number of clicks or impressions that your selected keywords would result
in based on various bid and budget amounts.6

5) Write your PPC ad and link it to a landing page on your website – Your headlines and ad copies should be
attention-grabbing, include your keywords and should draw users to your product or offering.7 Your ad should be
linked to a relevant landing page and include a call to action so that users are able to clearly see the product or
service on offer and the action you want them to take when they get to your website.8

6) Watch and track your PPC campaign – Knowing which keywords are successful and less successful will help in
allocating resources and refining your PPC campaign to produce the best possible results that meet your PPC goals.9

1
Marketingdonut.co.uk. (2018). Setting up a pay-per-click campaign. [online] Available at: https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/online-marketing/online-and-ppc-advertising/setting-up-a-pay-per-click-campaign [Accessed 11
Sep. 2018].
2
Marketingdonut.co.uk. (2018). Setting up a pay-per-click campaign. [online] Available at: https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/online-marketing/online-and-ppc-advertising/setting-up-a-pay-per-click-campaign [Accessed 11
Sep. 2018].
3
Justinternetsolutions.co.uk. (2018). The Best PPC Search Engines. [online] Available at: https://www.justinternetsolutions.co.uk/ppc-search-engines/ [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
4
Webconfs.com. (2018). Google Keyword Planner and Other Keyword Volume Tools. [online] Available at: http://www.webconfs.com/google-keyword-planner-and-other-keyword-volume-tools-article-63.php [Accessed 11 Sep.
2018].
5
Spyfu.com. (2018). SpyFu - Competitor Keyword Research Tools for AdWords PPC & SEO. [online] Available at: https://www.spyfu.com/ [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
6
Support.google.com. (2018). Keyword Planner - Google Ads Help. [online] Available at: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3114286?hl=en [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
7
SiteWit. (2014). Writing an Attention-Grabbing Ad: Attract, Delight and Satisfy - SiteWit. [online] Available at: https://sitewit.com/2014/11/13/attract-delight-satisfy-writing-effective-ppc-ad/ [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
8
Long, J. (2017). How to Write Strong Pay-Per-Click Ad Copy. [online] HuffPost. Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-long/how-to-write-strong-paype_b_5247960.html [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].
9
Marketingdonut.co.uk. (2018). Setting up a pay-per-click campaign. [online] Available at: https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/online-marketing/online-and-ppc-advertising/setting-up-a-pay-per-click-campaign [Accessed 11
Sep. 2018].